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Monday, January 14, 2013

Other Types of YA Writing You Might Be Interested In Doing

I wanted to take a moment, or a blog post, to talk about the
different types of YA writing that can be done. There are a multitude of
different types of YA writing out there beyond the novel and traditional short
story.

Comics

Comic books, TPB, and Graphic Novels – Words and art come
together to create a story for the reader. There are two ways this can be approached.
You write the story and find someone to illustrate the story or if you are
talented enough you can illustrate the story yourself. I wish I was talented
enough to draw, but sadly I can’t. I am a huge supporter of Comic Books because
they helped me overcome and deal with my learning disabilities. Comic Books were
the foundation for my love of reading. From the librarian stand point; they are
a great way to help reluctant readers to read.

Now traditional Comics, TPB, and Graphic Novels are print
materials, but the great thing is you don’t have to rely on a publisher like
Marvel and DC to get your workout there to the masses or the YA audience. There
are a number of small presses and self-pressed comics out there and they are
getting recognition they deserve. They go out there and promote their work and
it can get notice. Just look at the Eisner Nominations, a lot of them are not
Marvel and DC comics but small and independent press books.

And now with the advent of color tablets and e-readers it is
going to be interesting to see where the world of comics are going to go; along
with their interactivity.

Web Comics

Web Comics – Again these are very much like Comics, TPB, and
Graphic Novels but they are usually printed in strip form on the internet. They
can come out daily to weekly to monthly, but most of the time they come out on
a weekly or daily format. Again you can write and draw this. You can find
someone else to draw it for you. Or you can take clip art, stick figures,
photos, etc. and just have fun in new and unique ways to tell your stories in
these digital formats.

And typically these web comics are free for people to read
and enjoy.

I have seen a number of web comics that will, after a period
of time, and if they have become popular enough will create a TPB of their
comics and sell them in a print format.

You also need to be tech savvy with Web Comics because you will need a website and a place to host the comic. As well as being able to make the comic in a digital medium; i.e. from scanning that was hand drawn or creating content digitally.

Gaming Books

Gaming Books – And I am not talking computer or video game
books. I am talking about Pen and Paper RPGs here. I think the key of all writing
no matter the format is to get the reader to read and experience what you are
writing. And what better place than a sandbox pen and paper rpg?

I have started seeing pen and paper games coming out with
all ages in mind. They are no longer the domain of teens and men gathering around
a table slaying dragons with their wizards, warriors and elves. The pen and
paper market has really opened up to all realms of players. I was at a local
gaming con and I saw pen and paper games designed with kids in mind and they
were having a blast playing the game.

Flash Fiction

Flash Fiction – So you aren’t ready to tackle that book or
even that novella or maybe even that short story; well I have a format of
fiction for you, Flash Fiction. Flash Fiction is very, very short fiction anywhere
between 300 – 1000 words. The only catch here is every word is very important
in telling the story you are trying to convey. But some people are really
skilled at this sort of fiction. It isn’t a skill I have and I am totally in
awe for those who can write with so few words. I usually see these stories
published in anthologies, blogs and e-zines.

Plays

Plays – A play is a play is a play. Some people love to
write and tell stories through the use of dialogue and there are a good number
of teen oriented plays out there. One doesn’t have to rely on Shakespeare
alone. I have seen a number of teen books of plays and monologues out there for
the stage. So if your strength is dialogue this might be something you would
like to try your hand at.

Audio Dramas

Audio Dramas – These are so much fun to do; at least for me.
I have had a great time producing and writing audio dramas for podcasts. Because
not only are you using words to convey your story; you also get to use sound.
And sound is very important in these sorts of things. Sounds can take on a life
of its own and become a character in its own right; while each of your
characters will gain a voice all of their own as well. When I do the audio
dramas I release them via a podcast feed. This is something I give away for
free; while there are number of places who sell audio dramas.

Audio Dramas aren’t audio books. They normally have full
casts and sound effects and not relying on just a single reader. They are plays
for the mind’s eye.

Again this can be a tech heavy option if you will be doing all the work yourself. There is the recording and mixing of sounds and voices. There is the getting the content out there (again if you are doing it yourself) with pressing a CD, releasing it in a podcast format, or hosting it online on a website. It can be a time intensive process.

Works of NonFiction

NonFiction – I know that NonFiction isn’t always considered
literature, but everyone has their own strengths and weakness in writing. And I
think the primary goal of any writer, beyond having their work published, is
having what they have written read. And Teens/YA can love reading works of Nonfiction
especially if it is a topic they enjoy doing in their real lives from sports to
crafts to comic books to video games there are always new NonFiction books
coming out all the time. So if you enjoy writing and can’t get over that hump
of creative writing; you might want to try some NonFiction writing.

These are just a few different avenues, not all, in which you
can go when writing for teens. You always need to find the right avenue for you when writing. Because the more you
enjoy and have fun with the writing, the more your readers will enjoy what they
are reading.

If you have any questions about any of this stuff here please feel free to contact me. I love talking shop at davey.beauchamp@gmail.com

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